Log:Lathe IC 3.17
09:12 A man clad in a loose flowing robe of bright colors- a man who blends in not by virtue of dressing plainly.. but by virtue of matching what people expect of the district- slides in.. looking for the distinctive woman his contacts told him wished to meet /here/... of all places. He doesn't feel comfortable in Jade Soma... but he /looks/ comfortable in Jade Soma, as he slips into the bathhouse innocuously, laughing heartily 09:23 The Sapphire Font is proving such a lovely place to meet people. Radiant's rather surprised at how very well it seems to make people look so out of their element. It's a delightful little game, watching their entry... perhaps even attempting to drink what passes for tea in here. Though she suspects that her most recent... guest might not identify its lack 09:23 of calibre very quickly. With a gesture, she ensures that he will be guided over to the little grotto she has sort of claimed, for holding... a sort of court, while she can still watch the lovely, intricate mating dance that goes on outside, while speaking with a delightful bit of privacy often hard to find elsewhere. 09:25 And the man- dressed like every other man in the building, it would seem- though his remarkably rugged beard makes him somewhat out of place, along with the messy black hair accompanying it- as he slides into her little Grotto- looking to her with keen green eyes, and a roguish smile on his handsome face as he bows his head with respect. "M'lady." 09:26 "You wanted to see me?" he adds with a faint chuckle of amusement. 09:28 Radiant takes her time looking over the man again as he gives that bow and enters, after a number of seconds, she waves, "Please, do sit down. Make yourself comfortable. Have you been to the Font before, Nyumetsu?" she inquires 09:30 His eyes flicker briefly- the only betrayal of his suprise at her knowing his name. He seems to have underestimated the songstress- still, he smiles on, as he responds in a relaxed voice. "A few times, though never as a customer I am sad to declare. You seem quite the regular, yourself." He says with a warmth in his tone that feels forced- which is ironic, considering it's real- even as he sits down and relaxes back. 09:34 Radiant laughs, "Oh? You worked here? I didn't think you the type. But I suppose having the options open for the customers is always good... you could be, perhaps... the dangerous, but still pretty boy." she laughs. "But... for the work you did... instead... mmm, that seems... unexpected. There is not much... space for hiding a blade in the wardrobes 09:34 that fill most of that space." 09:36 He grins at that as he chuckles softly, laying laxly against the seat as he responds to her. "You'd be suprised, Radiant one." He says with a wink. "Regardless- I'm sure you didn't call this meeting to talk about how pretty /I/ am, no? Especially considering your far prettier." 09:41 "No. Of course not. That would be a rather facile topic of conversation. No, we have other things we may discuss. Things you've done... why you might have done them... who you might have done them for... but... I opened with such talk because I do not think you should feel pressed. No, I'd like you to take your time and let me know these things... and 09:41 enjoy this place while it is available to you." 09:46 He crooks an eyebrow- looking at her with his head tilted to the side curiously. He chuckles faintly- and answers... honestly, for a change. "I'm not quite sure I know how to enjoy a place like this. Or much of anything really. Still.." He pauses for a moment- before speaking. "Though- I can't lie. It confuses me a bit.. why do you want to know such things? Why do you.. /care/..?" He inquires- puzzled, before he asks anoth 09:47 "Unless this is all some kind of trap to lure me into the hands of the authorities- but then, with how the realm works, you wouldn't need evidence, you'd just need to tell them to slap me in irons- so I suppse getting me to tell you things like that would be meaningless." He adds on- looking a bit.. puzzled, as he looks to the jaw-droppingly beautiful woman. 09:55 It is hard for Radiant not to laugh at Nyu's comment, "A place like this is quite easy to enjoy. You have a body... and they offer all sorts of delights to help you... enjoy that. Personally, I enjoy observing the strange variation of a dance of seduction that plays out over there... and a nice drink. Or perhaps a massage. Most of these things we could 09:55 even do while holding a conversation." She sighs, "Why do I care? That is a decent question. I like to know why things are happening. Why someone decided that a member of a great house should need to perish in the midst of my show." a pause, "Why you seem to think that it was... a good deed. Certainly, there are... a great many reasons why that could be 09:55 thought of as true, but... wasn't there someone else using that killing to gain more for themself?" She pauses, "But I don't really know who it was... why. I do not have all the pieces I need. Which brings me back to you. And how you decided to share... who you are, while hauling that deceased Dynast." 09:56 He thinks for a moment, as he looks to her.. and speaks softly- furrowing his brow. He's a curious man- and one who, all things be spoken truly, does not truly understand himself, even, at this point. "...Well. I decided to share.. who I am... mostly? Mostly because..." He pauses for a moment- before continuing on. 09:57 "This is going to sound really stupid... but.. your song. The first one, not the other two- your song... It would have been easiest, smartest, most convienyent- to kill you quickly, before you could raise an alarm. But.. that song made me.. think of some things. So I didn't want to hurt you- I wanted to get to know you better, even... so I told you one of my names, then left." 09:58 He continues on, however- moving to answer her other questions. "As for why I felt it was... a good dead..? Well... there's no one whose going to miss that man. He was a cruel, foolish, bastard. I interupted him in the midst of rape- and.. does it matter that someone hired me to do it, that someone else gained from it?" 09:58 "I'm a sword- it is thus a swords purpose to be used. I at least have more lattitude than some blades- I can choose who wields me, and who against. That's enough." He finishes with a faint shrug, and a frown on his face as he stares back at her. 10:14 "Mmm, are you certain you are really making such choices... the ones you would like to make? You do not seem to know much better than I just... who it was that was doing so. They weren't doing so from some sort of sense of justice or improving the world." she pauses, "You just said that you thought the best idea would have been to kill me quickly there? 10:14 That seems rather unlikely. It's a sign, perhaps you should rather further consider your actions. Where they might lead." she pauses, "Consider how you're making... all such... quick-draw swordsmen and women look rather like they exist for assassination... That the terrible man you killed has a daughter who will be taking his position, and she might be 10:14 even worse... perhaps not as obviously, but it is not a good time to be stuck in The Lilly Pits." A sigh, "You seem that perhaps this is not your intention, though. That you do think more of what you can do." 10:17 He frowns as he looks to her- confused. He sighs wearily, as he looks at her- and speaks softly. "...I..." He trails of- frowning darker as he looks to her, sighing and closing her eyes. "...Maybe. I don't really understand what your talking about- but I... Heh. Not all practioners of Iajutsu exist for assassination..But.." 10:18 He pauses- looking almost... in pain, as he opens his eyes. "I most certainly do. It's all I've ever been good for, after all." He says calmly- believing it, as he sighs. "And maybe your right. Maybe what I've done with my life- it'll never help anyone. But... I can at least try to kill the /right/ people." 10:23 Radiant shakes her head, "There are many ways to wield a blade. You are not, somehow, limited to what you have done. It is, perhaps, a bit more lucrative than some of the other options, but... I think we both know of other directions, such as... The Whistlers and their fight against the Lintha." 10:24 He smiles faintly. "It's all killing... the Lintha are just people I can kill without the guilt of having taken a human life." He admits softly. "I suppose your aware of my participation in that, to.. your not just a singer, are you." He states flatly. 10:29 * Alvuea laughs, "But I am. You're just not listening closely enough for the music." She says, in a very serious tone, then says, "There are differences in killing, you know that. Differences in consequence. Differences in result." She smiles, "You seemed a string that could be... a bit better tuned, you were trying to hit good notes, but were perhaps a bit sharp." 10:33 He blinks at her- then frowns a bit. He sighs wearily- and frowns. "....I'm not at all sure I understand what your saying, I can't lie. Then again.. I... am not the best at understanding things involving... people. I don't even understand myself more often than not." He admits softly- then frowns. "..Do you know. Until a few years ago, I never even realized killing was wrong? I didn't realize it was wrong, until I lost som 10:37 Well, that cot Radiant by surprise. There is a thing she had never possibly expected was true of... absolutely anyone, "Truly? You never understood that there were consequences to your actions, that ripping out someone's loved one, their family, their friends... that such a thing wasn't a thing of great significance. Something you shouldn't take lightly?" 10:38 "I was seven when I lost my parents. Not to anyone, not for any reason. They died of being scrapers in the lily pits. The man who found me, didn't tell me that it was wrong- and until I was an adult, I never really met or spoke to anyone outside of the community of hired killers." He says calmly, as he looks to her. "I was raised explicitly to kill people." 10:39 "...And then I fell in love.. and then I lost her.. and I realized- 'That's what I'm doing to these people. I'm a monster.'. And I realized shortly thereafter, that I didn't know how else to live, and.." He looks... nothing short of horrified, as he lays back against the seat, and closes his eyes. "...I can't even figure out how to even /try/ to fix what I've done." 10:44 Radiant responds softly, "Well, you can try to save people, instead of trying to kill them. And... perhaps, you can restrain yourself. There will come a time for a tune of bloodshed, of turmoil. But this place is not yet ready. I would offer to guide you to doing things... better, but I cannot. You carry with you a bit too dark a trail. However, I am 10:44 certain The Whistlers could use a man of your talents, or if you travel from Lathe just a bit to the East, you will find a village where you can find a young woman named Allulah, and she could truly set you upon a better path." 10:47 He looks at her- frowning as he does. "...Why are you doing this..? Why do you... care?" He asks simply. "....You keep reminding me of her, you know." HE adds- not explaining that statement. 10:49 He stares at her with a frown- unsure about many things as he does 10:52 Radiant laughs, "Because I want to. Because I want the song to be free of dissonance. Because caring is what people *must* do. Because *you* can be a force for the benefit of the people of Lathe, and not those few who can afford your current terrible services." 10:54 "...I do want to help people. I mean that, to... mostly because.. it was what she wanted to do with her life, before she died.." He trails of- and frowns. "...I think with how things are going, I won't be taking a contract in a long time anyway." He admits softly as he looks to Radiant, looking to her. "...Then again. I doubt that leaving the shadows will do much more than end my life shortly." 10:55 He sighs. "Then again. Only one person would be mourning me if that happened. I suppose it's highly likely this is all some strange attempt to manipulate me- but... I'm finding it hard to care." He admits bluntly, as he looks at her. 10:59 "Dear, Nyumetsu. If I were really trying to manipulate you into doing a particular thing, you would already be doing it. I'm trying to help you change yourself. To recognize that there is more to Creation, to embrace its harmonies." She nods, "Do consider it. You may also still want to consider enjoying some of the services available here. You seem 10:59 like you could perhaps use a bit of relaxation." 11:00 "...Honestly? My idea of relaxing is... mostly to just try and start going with the flow. To just- stop thinking, and let things happen. It tends to end poorly for me, I can't lie." He says- the wry smile from the begining of their meeting returning- as he quietly looks to her, pursing his lips. "..You're giving me a lot to think about." 11:06 "Excellent. Of course, I shouldn't have to remind you that we never met here, and certainly we never met... where we did before. You know, that lazy river out there is a delightful spot for you to simply 'go with the flow'." 11:08 He chuckles. "I never saw anyone, or anything..." He says softly- as he looks to her, and thinks quietly. "...Let's see how things go. But.... Mm. You know. I think that I'll just.." He trails of- a faint smile on his lips. "...Thanks." 11:09 | Iri is now known as Pluck 11:18 Radiant smiles, "You're welcome. Do... try to be good?" she says, as she departs from the grotto, off to do things elsewhere. 11:18 Sometime later, Nyumetsu feels like a different man. He feels.. more confused and more full of purpose, than ever. Lurking in the dark after Curfew, he's begun his hunt to discover the Raksha who fled to the lilly pits... with little to no success. A stray thought strikes the Raksha slayer, as he makes a decision- thinking back to the parting words he gave Radiant at that grotto. 11:19 "Well. I'll do my best. Let's see if I'm better at it than I was at being in love." 11:19 On that thought, he scurries away through the night- heading to a certain mercanaries compound- and showing up at the front door, having climbed the gate- and knocking on the door. 11:28 The compound consists of a large training yard and a couple of buildings; one massive, multi-storied barracks, and another smaller storehouse that must double as the unit's arsenal. Nyumetsu rapidly discovers that the front door is not entirely unguarded. A pair of unhappy-looking Whistlers emerge and shortly therefater. A brief exchange follows, in which the nature of his business is demanded, 11:28 and ultimately one ventures within the barracks to consult with his superior. 11:28 A short time later, Nyumetsu finds himself escorted into the building and into a spartan office upon the third floor. Pluck, kneeling behind a low desk, peers at him upon his entry. The desk is covered in bureaucratic papers, and the mercenary captain looks quite tired; she is no longer in mourning gear, but a plain tunic. This must be her planning room; the walls are decorated with maps of 11:28 Lathe and the surrounding islands. 11:28 "My public duty is to turn you over to the legion for breaking curfew," the captain remarks, after dismissing her guards. Still, Nyumetsu knows they are simply behind the sliding door if they are to be called for. "What could be so important that you come to see me now, Master Nyumetsu?" 11:33 The man's hair is messier than she remembers- and that's saying something. He's eyes are bright and wild, and the grin on his face is... propably absurdly wide. "Well. Partially? I want to talk to you about joining your group. But only sort of. More asking you to hire me to do things." He states bluntly as he stares on at her. "Secondarily, I just want to talk to you." He states bluntly, as he sits across from her, relaxin 11:33 before going on to further state. "Radiant suggested I do that, before the Raksha shitstorm exploded. I thought I might give it a shot." 11:35 "Radiant did?" echoes Pluck. "You know Radiant?" She snaps her fingers. "Ah, so you are 'Fangs!' I thought you might be it. What is your connection, though?" 11:35 He blinks. "I met her in a bar, then talked to her another time in a meeting, and stuff." He says ambigously. "We talked a lot, and it was interesting." 11:36 "Really." 11:36 "Really Really." 11:37 "I killed a Raksha yesterday. It was great." 11:38 Pluck clucks her tongue. "Yes, the altercation has been the talk of town. Did you kill the Anathema as well? Or was he your ally?" 11:39 "Neither, honestly. He was a lunatic on the scene, who the Raksha killed. Whose death made the Raksha massively depressed- and ironically, a Realm Sympathizer who was fucking a Dynast, insofar as I knew anything about him." 11:39 "Note the Raksha killed him after he decided to give it's sister head." 11:42 Pluck frowns. "I don't understand, nor do I want to understand," she decides, eventually. "It sounds too foolish to get involved with." 11:42 "It really was. The man was utterly insane. Maybe only /some/ Anathema /aren't/ insane demons. Regardless. Would you consider hiring me?" 11:44 "To be quite clear, are you offering your services on a contractual basis, or are you asking to join the Whistlers as a fully-fledged member?" 11:46 He looks at her for a long moment. "I'd say initially the first, with the understanding I'm seriously considering the second if this Raksha business clears. If.. you understand what I mean?" 11:47 "Do you have any family?" 11:47 "One daughter, adopted." 11:51 "Then the Whistlers is not the home for you." Pluck shakes her head. "Because when you join the Whistlers, we would become your family, and you would become our youngest brother. Very few of us marry or have children outside the group, and those who do typically leave." She pauses. "People's first loyalties are always to their families, or perhaps I should say that they should be." 11:51 "Fortunately, this makes the nature of any arrangements between us an easy matter to arrange. As it happens I was hoping to speak to you again soon." 11:53 He nods slowly. "...I see. Your.. a family." He says- sounding almost.. longing, envious. His eyes gleam faintly in the moment- as he sighs. "....Very well. What where you hoping to speak to me about, may I ask?" he says softly, as he stares at her quietly- and sighs wearily. 11:57 "First, I want to know about the Anathema. You seem like you are connected to more than one. Why are they here? What do they want? What kind of powers do they wield? Do they seek to protect Lathe, or to conquer it for themselves?" 11:59 He looks at her- and speaks softly. "The first Anathema I ever met, I did not know was one until the Immaculates came for her to kill her. She was the single kindest, most gentle woman I have ever met, and is solely responsible for me having ever known joy." He responds openly, flatly stating it. 12:00 "You loved her, did you?" 12:01 "That said. They dont seem to be at all connected as a group. Anathema in general, I mean. Their individuals, not some joint.... I..." He pauses- and quietly nods. "...Yes." 12:03 "I see. I've also lost a loved one. And I engaged in theatrical, shameful display of mourning for weeks since then," replies Pluck. "But I realised, recently, that it was holding me back. That it would trap me in the past, if I let it. Radiant helped me figure it out." 12:04 He nods- and smiles faintly. "Aye.. I realized the same thing fighting that Raksha, myself. I'm over her death- but... I'm not going to forget what she taught me, either." 12:05 He smiles gently. "I'm feeling better after letting it go than I have in.. ever, really. I was never really happy about anything before her- just cold... and I mourned her until I took a long moment to think about it, and focused on it all.. trying to call on that emotion to lure out the fae.. and found that without even knowing it..?" 12:05 "I'd reached acceptance over what happened with her." 12:08 "Excellent. Wonderful. We need to focus on the future, do we not?" 12:09 He nods. "There's a lot of people in Lathe.. and their in a lot of danger. I'm a man with a very specific set of skills- I should use them to protect that people." 12:10 "Indeed. And you are also a very well-connected man who can tell me everything he knows about the Anathema in this town. So I can organize my unit effectively." Pluck leans across the table. "You've just said they are not a connected, unified force? Rather, they are just individuals operating independantly? Very good. How many do you know?" 12:11 "One, currently, whose alive, that I know of. And it's the same one you know about." He explains softly, as he leans back. "And he has no real goals beyond surviving, and doing what he thinks is right- which mostly consists of saving people. As for that.... Ironically- I don't know as much about Anathema as you seem to think." 12:13 "Just one? Hmm. But you were with that other one when the Raksha attacked?" 12:14 "Sort of. I and a freind- who insofar as I know is just a normal mortal Sorceress- met him on the way to running to go meet the Raksha attack." He states bluntly. 12:20 "You're friends with a sorceress? You must introduce us, We'll need sorcerous might if we're to confront the Lintha in the future, on broader terms." Pluck raises her fingers. "The dynasty cannot be relied upon to protect Lathe. The current state of the Sword of Danna'd and the raksha attack on our city has proven that. We must form a strong native force of our own, one strong enough to sail 12:20 out and confront their fleets and hideouts on its own right. This is the second thing I wanted to talk to you about." 12:23 He nods slowly- agreeing fully. "I agree fully. The Dynasts care about furthering their own goals and politics- not the people of Lathe... and I think we both know that." He says firmly. "There are individual acceptions- but those exceptions are not the people in charge." 12:30 "Indeed. There is no way for us to control that. That's why we must stand on our own- whether our leaders are capable or not, we must be strong either way. To that end, Radiant has offered to put me in touch with some highly-placed officials who might direct funds and tacit support to this cause. I need you to help me find the others in Lathe who can see the importance of this matter. People 12:30 like that Roderick fellow seemed a good start- strong, capable, good in a fight. Able to lead a unit. People like your sorceress friend, who can counteract the magic of the Lintha. People like yourself- used to operating covertly, to take out key targets and perform acts of sabotage long before any battle commences." Pluck closes her eyes. "And dragons help us, people like the Anathema, for 12:30 when we have no other options." 12:33 He nods slowly- and asks a quiet question. "So I want to ask you a very serious question, before we go on right now Pluck. I want everything on the table, explained, before you decide to trust me enough to let me in close." He says- suddenly... frowning. 12:34 "You have not, in fact, asked me a question yet." 12:35 "What do you think I do for a living, and have done for a living for most of my life." 12:35 "You're a hired killer," replies Pluck, curtly. 12:36 She shakes her head. "It is obvious. But you do not wear it well," she reflects, after a moment. "You seem oddly naive; I can't put my finger on it so easily." 12:37 He chuckles faintly at that. "...Well. I'm at once happy you guessed it, and dissapointed in myself for... man. I used to be a lot better at this.." he murmurs as he leans back. "Growing a conscience really messed me up." He says with a chuckle. 12:39 "Regardless... Yeah, I'm getting worse and worse as an Assassin, I think. That said..? I don't understand myself at all, anymore." 12:39 "You need discipline in your life. Order. A goal to direct your efforts towards and by which you can measure your achievements," lectures Pluck, sternly. "Without that, everyone struggles to make sense of the world." 12:40 He sighs. "I have a tally of my sins, and someone to protect. I suppose that's a start." He responds wryly- before shrugging. "Still.. I'm no good at thinking. I'm cunning, but not wise- and certainly not smart." 12:47 "An unglamarous self-assessment, to be sure." Pluck shakes her head. "When we move against the Lintha, we will need all the help we can get. So please find the time to direct your sorceress to me, so that we might confer over mutual assistance. Learn who would be willing to fight on behalf of Lathe, so that we can unify into a group with surety of purpose." She presses a hand onto her chest. 12:47 "I will take whatever help I can get. Then, when the time comes, join us again!" 12:49 He smiles softly, and speaks gently. "I hope we can talk more again, sometime... about things other than business. With that said- I.." He trails of- and sighs softly. "...I'll be here, when the time to comes to fight against the Lintha- in fact. The sorceress of whom I spoke has.. actually been gathering forces to move agains tthe Lintha as well." 12:49 "I'll put you two in contact- but she was working to gather a force for that exact purpose herself, ironically." 12:51 "Good! I am glad we are of like mind." She clucks her tongue. "You seem such a weary fellow, Nyumetsu. You must not sigh so much or hold too many regrets. I think that is bad." She pauses. "Do you go fishing, Master Nyumetsu?" 12:53 "I don't really have any hobbies." 12:53 "I work, and I take care of the little girl I adopted." 12:54 "I don't do much of anything else." 12:57 "I like to fish. It is calming, and it gives me plenty of time to talk with a certain captain of rapacious repute," replies Pluck. "Sometimes, when the nuga are aligned and the waters are kind, I'm even able to catch something. If you have nothing better to do, the next time we meet perhaps we should cast a line into the sea and talk about everyday things. If such is truly your desire." 12:58 He thinks for a moment. "I warn you, I'll propably not be any good at the conversation. But I'd love to try." 13:03 Pluck seems a bit exasperated. "It is what you asked for. I don't have a lot of patience for this kind of self-disparagement. When my little brothers and sisters complain too much, I find putting them through an hour of calisthenics to be an appropriate remedy. Shall I arrange the same for you? Ah, you're not under my command, so I shall have to have you pursued." 13:04 He laughs at that. "...I think my morning and before bed workouts are both more straining than an hour of Calisthenics, but I'll do it. Still- I'm a sword, not a person. I'm quite aware of that by this point." He says firmly, staring at Pluck with a warm smile- as if that is something /normal/ to say. 13:06 Pluck frowns. "Well, it's good that you keep yourself sharp, then," she replies, folding her arms. 13:08 He shrugs. "On the contrary. I feel I've made myself quite dull lately, in the name of trying to do the right thing. I think I'd rather like to try being a person, despite what I've been saying. Like I said- I'm not very smart." he says wryly- before shrugging and chuckling. 13:10 "Well, I- you have a daughter, don't you? Did you leave her home alone?!" 13:11 "No, I left her with one of her tutors- most of whom are capable of protecting her if danger arises... and- yes, I believe the current one is one of those." 13:14 "At least you have some prudence in you, then." Pluck drops her quill. "Do you play Gateway?" 13:16 "A bit, but I'm no good at it." 13:17 "Neither am I," Pluck lies. "Let us play." 13:17 He chuckles a bit then nods- smiling faintly. "Sure. Have a board laying around?" 13:18 Pluck does have a board, and she also has tea. A meditative evening of strategic rumination awaits! 13:20 And at it's end- the strange man leaves to go tuck his daughter into bed- quietly dissapearing into the night. Category:Log